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Summary

A water-meadow of probable post-medieval to 19th century date is visible on aerial photographs of 1955 as earthwork ditches on the south facing combe slopes to the north of Indicknowle Farm. Known locally as catchwork, catch-meadow or field-gutter systems, such water meadows are usually found on combe or hill slopes and are designed to irrigate pasture by diverting water from a spring or stream along water channels or gutters which were caused to overflow when irrigation was required. Their use was particularly important during the hungry gap between March and April.

Location

Protected Status: none recorded

Other References/Statuses: none recorded

Monument Type(s) and Dates

• CATCH MEADOW (Post Medieval to XX - 1540 AD to 1904 AD)
• WATER MEADOW (Post Medieval to XX - 1540 AD to 1904 AD)

Full description

Ordnance Survey, 1880-1899, First Edition Ordnance 25 inch map (Cartographic). SDV336179.

The visible earthwork gutters do not correspond with and depicted map features.

Royal Air Force, 1955, RAF/58/1928 (F21), NMR RAF/CPE/UK/1980 3105-3106 11-APR-1947 (Aerial Photograph). SDV350635.

Three narrow curvilinear water channels or gutters are visible as an earthworks. Map object based on this source.

Hegarty, C. + Knight, S., 2011 - 2012, North Devon Coast Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty National Mapping Programme Project (Interpretation). SDV349018.

A water-meadow of probable post-medieval to 19th century date is visible on aerial photographs of 1955 as earthwork ditches on the south facing combe slopes to the north of Indicknowle Farm.
Such water-meadows, known as catchwork, catch-meadow or field-gutter systems, are usually found on combe or hill slopes and are designed to irrigate pasture by diverting water from a spring or stream. The water is carried along the valley sides via one or more channels or gutters and when irrigation was required the gutters were blocked, causing water to overflow from gutter to gutter, thereby irrigating the slopes. This film of water prevented the ground freezing during the winter and raised the temperature of the grass in the spring, thereby encouraging early growth, particularly important during the hungry gap of March and April.
The water meadow is relatively simple, consisting of three roughly parallel curvilinear gutters spaced roughly 30 metres apart. The system was probably supplied with water by the spring fed stream which rises and flows immediately to the east of the gutters. The earthworks are probably visible only due to the extremely low light conditions on the image referenced above and cannot be identified on later aerial photographs available to the survey.
The gutters are not depicted on the Ordnance Survey First Edition 25 inch map and therefore possibly passed out of use before the end of the 19th century.

Sources / Further Reading

SDV336179	Cartographic: Ordnance Survey. 1880-1899. First Edition Ordnance 25 inch map. First Edition Ordnance Survey 25 inch Map. Map (Digital).
SDV349018	Interpretation: Hegarty, C. + Knight, S.. 2011 - 2012. North Devon Coast Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty National Mapping Programme Project. AC Archaeology Report. ACD383/2/1. Digital.
	Linked documents:1
SDV350635	Aerial Photograph: Royal Air Force. 1955. RAF/58/1928 (F21). Royal Air Force Aerial Photograph. Photograph (Paper). NMR RAF/CPE/UK/1980 3105-3106 11-APR-1947.

Associated Monuments: none recorded

Associated Finds: none recorded

Associated Events

• EDV6132 - North Devon Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty NMP Project

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